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Today Is WORLD #SpinaBifida & #Hydrocephalus Awareness Day campaign!

Shine’s annual Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of the conditions, while celebrating the fantastic achievements made by its energetic and growing community.

The third Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Awareness Week will take place across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland from 19th-26th October 2014.

To mark the week, Shine encourages people to take part in its Wear Yellow and Shine initiative, which raised over £20,000 in 2013 to help the charity support everyone affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

This year, in addition to Wear Yellow and Shine, we are launching a new initiative called #shinereflections, which aims to help boost awareness among Shine’s growing membership and active online community.

Causes

In the past, hydrocephalus was often referred to as ‘water on the brain’. However, the brain is not surrounded by water but by a special fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

CSF has three important functions, it:

protects the brain from damage

removes waste products from the brain

provides the brain with the nutrients it needs to function properly

The brain constantly produces new CSF (about a pint a day), while old fluid is released from the brain and absorbed into the blood vessels. However, if this process is interrupted, the level of CSF can quickly build-up, placing pressure on the brain.

Types of hydrocephalus

hydrocephalus that usually only develops in older people (normal pressure hydrocephalus or NPH)

These are briefly described below.

Congenital hydrocephalus

Congenital hydrocephalus is present in babies when they're born and can be caused by birth defects, such as spina bifida, or as a result of an infection the mother develops during pregnancy, such as mumps or rubella (German measles).

It's estimated that spina bifida affects one baby in every 1,000 born in Britain. Most of them will have hydrocephalus.

Congenital hydrocephalus carries the risk of long-term mental and physical disabilities as a result of permanent brain damage.

Acquired hydrocephalus

Acquired hydrocephalus can affect children or adults. It usually develops after an injury or illness. For example, it may occur after a serious head injury or as a complication of a medical condition, such as a brain tumour.